This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
It is well known that hurricanes and tornados create storm wind forces capable of damaging and/or destroying standard residential and commercial constructions. Wind storm forces are known to remove and/or compromise the primary sealing systems of shingles, roofing, siding, and veneers. Furthermore, wind storm forces are well known to lift off entire roof systems and blow down and/or suck out walls.
The winds associated with tornado and hurricane storms are known to include destructive straight line winds and other destructive forces that impose torsion forces upon a structure to effectively twist it apart. In addition, tornado and hurricane storms buffet structures with seismic type forces that effectively weaken the holding power of traditional fasteners like nails and screws. Furthermore, tornado storms include a vortex, and sometimes several smaller vortices inside of a large vortex, which impose a spiraling shell of wind capable of imposing an effective dynamic wall of wind known to apply impact forces to a structure, capable of effectively bumping and/or knocking it down, not just blowing it down.
Observations of tornado storm events suggest that a vortex travels while spinning in an unorthodox, unpredictable, and indefinable warble-like pattern and/or path. The warble-like pattern of movement relative to the ground gives the spinning wind wall impact like force acting on a structure as it whips around with sudden changes of direction. As a result, frame-type structures usually suffer significant damage from direct hits by a tornado, regardless of the size or classification of the storm.
In addition, wind storm forces are well known to impose substantial blowing rain events which become influent to structures even before the construction components fail and/or are compromised. Beyond the obvious influent opportunities resulting from broken windows and/or other compromised construction components, wind storm events are known to blow rain into and through functioning vents of an intact roof system, thus creating water damage even though little or no actual structural damage occurs.
In addition to wind and rain hazards, severe wind events impose seismic forces upon buildings, not unlike the seismic forces imposed by an earthquake. One of the reasons that frame-type buildings seem to explode apart is partly because the fasteners, which are traditionally nails and/or screws, significantly weakened lose their holding power when subjected to seismic forces. As a result, once the holding power of traditional nails and screws is compromised, subsequent applied forces of wind, rain, torsion, and/or seismic in nature, can have significant destructive impact upon a structure.
There are numerous representatives of known art resident in the patent records that deal with various hurricane or tornado storm wind forces by claiming use of any one of several strengthening components. However, one of the major problems with all of the known examples is that they do not lend themselves to our do-it-yourself culture and do not lend themselves to be cost effective for the mass consumption public at large.
Another problem with known art examples is that none of these patent records for structural strengthening systems includes a means to provide a secondary sealing system for the structure in the event the primary sealing system of shingles and/or siding of the structure are compromised.
Another problem with the known art examples is that none of these patent records for structural strengthening systems includes a means to provide anti-torsion and seismic resistance to the construction system by unitizing the basic frame-type construction elements.
There are some references of known art in the patent records related to systems that minimize water influent damage from wind storms but, once again, none of these examples lend themselves to our do-it-yourself culture and do not lend themselves to be cost effective for the mass consumption public at large. In addition, none of the known examples provide any strengthening enhancements to improve the structural integrity of frame-type construction to resist the destructive torsion forces imposed by wind storms or the destructive seismic forces imposed by wind storms and other seismic events. Furthermore, none of these prior art sealing systems provides a secondary sealing system in the event that the primary sealing system is compromised.